Unessay 2: Fruit Gathering LV

I decided to create a comic/manga panel representing the poem Fruit Gathering LV. It was an interesting read although I became more interested in how it would look rather than the story itself, given that I read it as a bit religious and I’m atheist/agnostic. The woman found a reason to live on after her husband died and her reason was either some sort of god or the understanding that even after death people can live on in our memories. I read it more as finding comfort in god, given Tulsidas, a poet with a connection to the deity Rama, was present.

It took me about 7 ½ hours to draw. I spent at least 20 minutes just looking up references to base my people and the pyres on. I looked up photos of blank panel outlines(not that I stuck to any particular design), the Ganges, funeral pyres, Indian brides, and Tulsidas to try and make things fit. Drawing clothes and people are not my strong suits so I found it especially frustrating to draw the woman and in the end, my frustration led me to draw her neighbors as shadow people. She has a different outfit between her first meeting with Tulsidas and her other meetings and that took another reference of everyday outfits for Indian women. I had the thought to read off the poem as I took a video that panned through the panels but decided not to in the end.

Its contribution to literature comes from the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words and even two images can tell an entire story. Having a poem and imagery to go along with it is a way to reach some more audience members, such as those who are more visual versus those who are content with using their own imagination while they read it.